BMW issues stop-sale for i3 electric car

BMW has told its dealers to hold all sales of its 2018 i3 electric car due to a compliance issue detected by the NHTSA. The German automaker will also recall about 30,000 examples of the BMW i3.

The government agency found during routine testing that the i3 does not provide adequate protection in simulations of a very specific head-on collision. According to a recall notice first posted to an i3 Facebook group and later shared byInsideEVs, the NHTSA found that "a limit for one of the many [crash test] criteria was marginally exceeded."

How specific? The NHTSA found that neck injury limits were exceeded for an unbelted fifth percentile female in the i3's passenger seat.

The German automaker said that i3s are safe to drive and that "BMW recommends that all vehicle occupants fasten their safety belts before driving, and keep them fastened for the duration of travel."

BMW hasn't said how it will remedy the i3 to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Owners will receive notice in January about the recall's specifics, which will be addressed at the automaker's dealers. It's not clear if new i3s will be available for delivery by then.